


The 5+1 Runaway Hilda AU

by Nach0



Category: Hilda (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Reconciliation, Runaway Hilda AU, Running Away
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:28:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29020464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nach0/pseuds/Nach0
Summary: Thinking her mum wanted a better daughter, Hilda ran away from home. But deep down, she still misses Johanna.Johanna was distraught when her daughter ran away. But she will keep searching for her, however long it takes.The 5 times Hilda almost went back, the 5 times Johanna almost found her, and the 1 time they found each other.
Relationships: Gerda Gustav/Johanna | Hilda's Mum (Hilda), Hilda & Johanna | Hilda's Mum (Hilda), Hilda & Twig (Hilda), Johanna | Hilda's Mum (Hilda) & The Keeper Of The Bells
Comments: 5
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pikablob](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pikablob/gifts).



> So the fabulous Runaway Hilda AU belongs to equally fabulous @cinnamon-sparrow-scout on Tumblr! They were my beta and really helped me flesh out the world and it's characters.
> 
> Please ask them before writing for this AU!
> 
> Each chapter will have the points in time for both Johanna and Hilda's POVs, so you can get both sides of the story!
> 
> (There's also a bonus chapter with the reunion at the end :O)

#1 - 1 week after running away

Hilda sat at the edge of a cliff, swinging her legs idly. Her hand automatically moved to scratch Twig behind the ears as she stared at the Trolberg City Wall. Sure, she loved the wilderness, the freedom, but she found herself missing the city - and its inhabitants. She wondered what Frida and David were doing - were they earning badges, were they still going on adventures? ~~Were they looking for her?~~

Her thoughts turned to Alfur and what he would be doing. _’He must have one big report to write!’_ Hilda thought with a grin. Alfur would always find some way to turn even the worst situations around with his optimism, usually by making them about paperwork! Hilda missed Alfur, and she hoped he missed her, but at least he would have mum for company.

 _Mum._ Despite everything, Hilda still missed her mum. Just that thought alone brought tears to her eyes and made her want to go running back home. Her mum, who gave the best hugs, always made her favourite sandwiches before an adventure and was always there for her.

Hilda shook her head to clear her thoughts. She was doing this _for_ her mum, even if only partly. She deserved a better daughter than one who lied to her, never told her anything, took her for granted-

Hilda hadn’t realised how hard she had been crying until Twig licked the tears off her face. She gave a shaky laugh and pulled him into a big hug, burrowing her face into his fur. Twig was always there for her and that wouldn’t change, even when everything else was. In his fur, all her problems melted into the white.

Twig barked, which made her come up to see what was wrong.

“Are you ok?” She asked. “Did I hurt you? I’m sorry if I did.”

Twig just barked again and looked up towards the sky. Above them was the unmistakable gray of the safety patrol blimp. Hilda scowled at it, picking up Twig.

“They’re probably looking for more innocent creatures to hunt. Come on Twig, let's go before they spot us.”

And so Hilda ran, away from the Safety Patrol, away from Trolberg and away from her doubts.

#1 - 1 week after Hilda ran away 

Johanna stared down Erik Ahlberg as he tried to come up with pointless excuses. 

“Well we _really_ can’t let a civilian on a patrol, with the increased troll activity and all that.”

Johanna just raised an eyebrow at him, making him wilt.

“It’s daytime,” she said flatly. “And my daughter is out there somewhere. So move out of my way, and _let me onto that blimp_.” 

Ahlberg stepped aside as his deputy - Gerda maybe? - nodded at her. Johanna nodded back, and walked onboard before taking a position at the window. If there was even the slightest chance of finding Hilda, she would take it. 

~~<3~~

They were half an hour into the patrol and Johanna was already fed up with Ahlberg.

“Perhaps she is in the clutches of some trolls! I will fend them off and save your child dear Johanna, don’t you worry! Gerda you make sure to get lots of pictures.”

To her credit, Gerda didn’t say anything like Johanna was very close to doing. She just rolled her eyes and kept focusing on flying the blimp.

Johanna followed her lead and turned back to the window when-

“There!” she called, pointing out the window. “I see her!”

Sure enough, below the blimp were two small blobs of colour. One, the larger, was a bright teal blue, and the smaller was pure white.

Gerda let out a gasp and steered the blimp to land while Johanna watched in horror as they ran into the woods. 

“They don’t _look_ like they need rescuing,” Ahlberg mumbled grumpily. Johanna shot the man a glare as she ran past him to get out of the blimp and towards the woods where Hilda and Twig just were. She ran in the direction she thought they went only to find no sign of either of them.

She was about to start crying when Gerda placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Let’s look around some more, they can’t have gone far.”

~~<3~~

They searched for hours until the sun started to set, Ahlberg complaining the whole way.

“You said you saw them and they weren’t in any danger!”

“Why are we still here? They’re probably long gone by now!”

“Hilda can take care of herself, she wouldn’t have run off otherwise!”

Just as Johanna was about to yell at Ahlberg, she got cut off my Gerda yelling first.

“Sir there is a _missing child_ out here somewhere and it is our job as safety patrol to find her!”

Everyone was shocked by Gerda’s outburst, but it seemed to do the trick. Ahlberg continued searching with only minor grumbles, making Johanna look at Gerda in a new light.

When it came time for them to go, Johanna boarded the airship with a broken heart. Hilda had been _right there_ and then she had slipped through her fingers. Gerda placed a hand on her shoulder as she stood at the blimp entrance, staring into the forest.

“We will find her. However long it takes, we’ll keep searching until we bring Hilda home.”

Johanna smiled at Gerda who smiled back.

“Thank you Deputy, that means a lot.”

“Please,” Gerda said, starting to walk in. “Call me Gerda.”


	2. Chapter 2

#2 - 3 months after running away

Hilda was following the woff migration as they flew across the sky, a smile on her face, Twig racing beside her. This is what adventuring was all about! She let out a big whoop as she bounded across the plains, wind pushing her hair back from her face. Almost too late, she skidded to a stop at the edge of a cliff overlooking Trolberg, watching the woffs go on undeterred. At least there were no bells to confuse them, unlike last time when she was with-

Frida and David! She hadn’t thought about them in so long! Did that make her a bad friend?

“I suppose leaving them to deal with all the craziness I brought into their lives made me a bad friend before that, huh Twig?”

Twig just tilted his head; as smart as he was, he couldn’t read her mind. Hilda strained her eyes to look for the park where the Sparrow Scouts held their annual woff migration viewing, but all she could see were rooftops for miles. It must have been on the other side of Trolberg. She shrugged, ready to turn around and explore some more, when a distressed call came from the flock.

She spun around just in time to see two woffs collide, one of them managing to get back in the sky while the other, a rare white woff, kept falling.

Without thinking, Hilda slid down the side of the cliff and raced towards where the woff was falling. As Hilda raced towards the woff, she managed to run a little faster than usual, and anyone who saw would say her hair was glowing.

(Somewhere under the city, Frida would be practicing offensive magic when a huge blast of pure power came out of her wand. No-one would be able to figure out why until much later.)

Finally catching up, Hilda watched as the woff collided into some rocks, falling and getting its tail trapped underneath. For all it whined and struggled, it couldn’t get free, meaning it was Hilda’s job to come and save it.

As Hilda grabbed a large branch, she used all her weight to try and lever the boulders off. Twig went around the other side and tried to use his antlers to push the rock away. Finally, the stone fell away, freeing the woff. It gave a few experimental bounces before doing a lap in the sky.

Hilda watched as it came back down and landed next to her, looking at her expectantly.

“You want us to hop on?” She asked, as the woff did what constituted a nod for beings that were only a head. “But how will I hold Twig _and_ hold on to you?”

She hummed before taking off her backpack to try and find something in there, before an idea struck. She unzipped the bag most of the way and held it open on the ground.

“Come on Twig, it’ll be fun! You’ll be safe and secure and you’ll be able to see everything!”

No more convincing needed, he hopped in as Hida zipped the bag enough so that he could still see, but would be safe. Hefting the bag onto her back, she mounted the woff, holding on as it immediately took off.

Nothing would ever compare to flying, Hilda thought as they glided over Trolberg to join the rest of the flock. Looking below, Hilda started to try and pinpoint familiar locations before stopping herself. She was flying, she didn’t need to be weighed down with negative thoughts!

Neither her nor Twig noticed how her hair had started glowing, thinking it a trick of the light.

As they passed the opposite wall of Trolberg, the woff landed to let them off. Thanking it with a pat, Hilda watched as it flew away, easily keeping track of its white coat among the brown. Walking into the forest to find a place to camp for a day or two, Hilda was completely unaware of the eyes on her.

#2 - 3 months after Hilda ran away

Johanna and Gerda sat on a picnic blanket watching the woffs fly over the city together. They had become good friends after all the time that Johanna spent with the safety patrol. She was basically a member already, but she hadn’t accepted the official position.

Johanna liked the sound of the position she had been offered, an advisory role about any and all creatures and spirits that lived in and out of the city, and under different circumstances, she might have accepted. But all her time was spent searching for Hilda, though she hadn’t caught so much of a glimpse in months.

Gerda seemed to sense that she was lost in her thoughts and bumped their shoulders together.

“Just watch the woffs. You can worry later.”

Johanna sighed and turned her gaze back towards the sky.

“How do you always know when I’m thinking about-” Johanna got cut off by the distressed cry of a woff. Two had collided in mid-air and one was falling. Fast. Grabbing their bags, Johanna and Gerda ran towards Johanna’s car. Just as they were about to get in, the woff came flying up again. They watched as it did a few loops in the air, but when Johanna looked closely, she saw something that made her heart stop.

“Hilda’s on there!”

When Gerda looked up she saw Hilda, and noticed something… odd.

“Is her hair glowing?”

Johanna hadn’t noticed that, more focused on the fact that Hilda was ok, and she was _right there_ , but if she took a closer look, she could see it. Shaking her head, she got in the car and motioned for Gerda to do the same.

They chased the woff across the town, stopping as they got to the wall. Johanna kept her eyes on the sky as Gerda unlocked the door to the bell tower, which they quickly raced to the top of.

Inside, the bell keeper, Argus, was watching the woff migration, and had also noticed Hilda riding one of them. Johanna leaned out the window, arm outstretched as the woff that had her daughter on it flew away.

“She dismounted already and ran off into the woods.”

A strong hand pulled her away from the window and she turned to find Gerda holding her back. She opened her arms in an invitation and Johanna took it, sobbing quietly into her shoulder.

When they broke apart, they found Argus holding a tray with three cups of tea. After thanking him, they all sat to watch the rest of the migration. Johanna’s gaze fell to the woods where Hilda had been moments ago. Making up her mind, she turned to Gerda and Argus.

“I want to join the safety patrol.”


	3. Chapter 3

#3 - 6 months after running away - Sonstanstil 

Hilda held Twig close as she shivered in the cool winter air. It had been getting colder, and so she had been holding Twig as they walked, to share body heat. It was a dark night, and while they would have normally found somewhere to sleep by now, Hilda had a mission.

She was going to see the Sonstanstil tree, and nothing would stop her. Hilda didn’t even know if the tree had bloomed yet, but she wanted to see it all the same.

(And _no_ Twig, she would not go searching for her mum, but if she happened to catch a glimpse of her in the crowd, would it really be her fault?)

As she crept towards the wall she started to have doubts about her plan. What if she got caught? The safety patrol had been around much more than usual lately, did they think there was more troll activity or something? Either way, if they found her she would be taken back, and, right now at least, she didn’t want that.

As she stood debating with herself at the wall, Twig licked her face in a comforting way. She laughed at the ticklish sensation before making up her mind. Nodding once, she started to head towards a lesser known entrance into the city when a ground shaking roar echoed across the area. Immediately changing her mind about going in, Hilda ran for the cliff overlooking Trolberg, hoping she’d be able to see something. 

As she was hurriedly climbing up the cliff, a flash of blue light made her turn her head. She still couldn’t see very well, but it was hard to miss the fading beam of blue light from the city center.

When Hilda turned to go back to climbing she noticed a blue glow surrounding her. Dismissing it as an after effect of the beam, she kept climbing. Twig would have tried to draw her attention to her glowing hair, but he knew better than to move around while Hilda was climbing.

As she reached the top, another beam of light appeared, this one so bright it made even Hilda cover her eyes from where she was standing. When the spots cleared from her vision, Hilda was frozen, unsure on what to do. 

On one hand, Trolberg would always be a part of her, even if she didn’t live there anymore, and she felt a need to protect it. On the other, she had gained some sense of self preservation living in the forest, and her instincts were screaming at her to _run._

The decision was made for her when patrol officers swarmed out of the city and surrounded the gate. Throwing one last glance over her shoulder, she ran into the forest, away from deafening roars and giant beams of light.

“At least there’s always next year, huh Twig?”

#3 - 6 months after Hilda ran away - Sonstanstil 

Not for the first that night, Johanna wished she and Gerda were just regular people. She had a very romantic plan for asking Gerda out when the Sonstanstil tree lit up, but now they were freezing on a rooftop for stakeout. _’Still,’_ she thought. _’At least Gerda and I get to spend some of the night together, even if it’s just waiting silently for Gryla. And at least Ahlberg is on the other side of the road.’_

(Unknown to her, Gerda was having similar thoughts.)

They made eye contact and both looked away, blushing. _’Focus Johanna! You’re on a mission!’_

To try and focus better, she went over the plan for the night again. They were going to wait for Argus’s silent signal that Gryla was coming, ready a big net, and then take Gryla to a cave to hold her there until she fell asleep again for the year.

Johanna allowed herself a momentary bit of pride at that; she had been the one to try and implement a catch-and-release program for magical creatures. While she didn’t want them to hurt the city, she didn’t want to hurt them either.

Before she could go over the plan again (or daydream some more about Gerda) the signal came. Exchanging a nod, both she and Gerda tightened their grip on the net, but didn’t feel the tension of someone on the other side doing the same. What was Ahlberg doing?

As Johanna looked around for Ahlberg, she noticed a bunch of kids - or at least some very short people, were those beards? - underneath the Sonstanstil tree, placing large sacks there.

Johanna was about to try and tell them to get away when she heard the unmistakable sound of Ahlberg’s war cry, complete with the ringing of a bell. She turned in horror to watch Ahlberg run up to Gryla with no clear plan. Gryla swatted him away into a wall and roared in fury.

Johanna and Gerda split in different directions after a few silent signals. Johanna ran left towards the ~~kids~~ _people_ underneath the tree, while Gerda tried to distract Gryla. Jumping down she rushed over and- is that Frida?

“Frida? What are you doing, get out of here!”

Frida’s gaze swapped between Gryla and what looked like a broken stick?

“Oh well, the secret would be out soon anyway,” she muttered under her breath, but Johanna still heard.

“What secret? Frida, what’s going on?” Johanna’s voice got progressively higher pitched because _this was not in the plan!_

Instead of answering, Frida ducked around her and muttered something Johanna couldn’t make out. In response, her stick shot out a giant blue beam of light towards Gryla, stunning her momentarily. 

Looking at what Johanna could only assume was her wand with surprise, Frida didn’t notice how Gryla had locked eyes on a new target. Her.

Grabbing her arm and dragging her, Johanna raced towards the ‘emergency truck’ as it had been dubbed, mostly due to the light cannon on the back, which was hidden behind the Sonstanstil tree. Frida quickly broke out of her shock and ran with her, throwing glances over her shoulder every few seconds.

“What _was_ that?” Johanna ~~screamed~~ asked. “I mean magic, yeah, but how was it so powerful?”

Frida kept looking back, but when Johanna followed her gaze she was looking towards the forest and not Gryla.

“It means my familiar is nearby!” Frida all but whispered, as if she couldn’t believe it herself.

“You have a familiar?” Johanna didn’t realise that Frida’s family had a pet, let alone one Frida had magically bonded to.

Frida didn’t say anything more as they kept running, finally reaching the truck. They both got in and Johanna looked back; Gryla had switched her attention to the sacks under the tree- Wait, were those Frida's parents?

Johanna looked over the truck controls in desperation. She had to help them, and fast. There was only one thing she could do.

“Gerda get away from Gryla! I’m going to use the light cannon! Make sure no civilians are in the way!” She shouted over the radio. After getting confirmation, Johanna pulled a lever to aim the cannon before hitting the button, and watched as the beam of pure light tore through the Sonstanstil tree and hit Gryla, turning her into nothing but ash.

Jumping out of the car, she ran over to Gerda, checking her for injuries before pulling her into a tight hug. Johanna was overcome with relief and felt a sudden burst of courage. When they both pulled away they started talking in sync.

“Gerda/ Johanna, would you go on a date with me?”

They both looked at each other in shock before laughing. Taking the lead, Gerda pulled Johanna into a kiss.

Even when they stopped, they stayed in the comfort of the others arms until they heard screams.

“Guess we should go do our jobs, huh?” Johanna asked with a chuckle.

“I suppose we should.”

Walking over to the site of the commotion, they caught the tail end of an argument between Frida and her parents.

“For the last time, I wasn’t the one who tried to sacrifice you to Gryla!” Frida shouted, tears in her eyes.

“It doesn’t matter!” Her mum shouted, just as loud. “This isn’t the daughter we raised! Sneaking out, lying to us, becoming a _witch_ , we have no choice. From now on you are no longer our daughter!”

Frida took a step back in shock as her parents - _former parents_ \- walked away. After a silent conversation with Gerda, Johanna walked over to her while Gerda went to reassure the public. Johanna crouched down next to the still-frozen Frida and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey Frida, are you doing ok?”

As soon as she asked, Johanna wanted to kick herself. Of course she wouldn’t be ok! Instead of trying again with words, Johanna just opened her arms in invitation, which Frida gladly accepted, sobbing into her neck. Johanna rubbed small circles into her back, and eventually the tears lessened. 

“You can come stay with me if you wanted,” Johanna offered on a limb. She hadn’t meant to, but now she had, she was going to follow through. “I have only one condition; no magic. Not until you’re 18 at least. You’re just a kid; you shouldn’t be caught up in all of this.”

To her dismay, Frida shook her head and pulled away.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t just give up magic. I do have somewhere I can go though, a Sparrow Scout is always prepared!” She said, finishing with a shaky smile. Johanna was still worried, but if Frida said she had a place to go, she was inclined to believe her.

“Ok, but can I at least help you find your familiar? I didn’t see any animals around but I’m sure if we look-”

Johanna cut herself off when Frida started shaking her head.

“She’s going, I can feel the bond fading. At least she came, even if only temporarily.”

Johanna wanted to wrap Frida in another hug, but didn’t feel like it would be as appreciated.

“Still, what’s her name? I might be able to find her if I’m on patrol.”

Frida’s gaze was fixed on a spot behind Johanna’s shoulder. Johanna followed her gaze just in time to hear Frida whisper.

“ _Hilda._ ”

A glowing figure on the mountain caught her eye. The glow was blue, the same blue that Hilda’s hair was glowing when riding the woffs, the same colour as Frida’s magic. She turned back to Frida only to find her gone.

Johanna was about to rush into the woods when Gerda stopped her. 

“You’re needed here. We will find her. For now, we need to help the people.”

Pushing the parts of her that wanted to go after Hilda down, she nodded. Even if she could go, she wouldn’t be able to catch up to Hilda. 

Hand in hand, they went out to deal with the disaster that had just occurred.


	4. Chapter 4

#4 - 8 months after running away

Hilda was camped closer to the wall than normal. Normally she stayed as far away as possible; the further into the forest she went, the less likely there would be safety patrol around. Still, sometimes Hilda needed some company other than Twig, and so campers and hikers passing through were her best bet. 

As she packed, she mentally ran over her map of the area, ignoring any Sparrow Scout camping grounds. She had almost stumbled into one when she first started, but managed to find her way out with almost no trouble. For some reason her hair was glowing again, so when she came across two scouts while trying to sneak away they thought she was a ghost, screaming all the way back to camp.

As Hilda was about to choose where to go, she heard a distinctly human scream coming from where she knew there was a small gorge. Putting Twig in her backpack, she ran towards where the scream was coming from, ready to help whoever it was.

As Hilda rounded the bend, she saw a red wolf slowly walk towards a fallen hiker whose leg was trapped underneath some rocks. Looking for a way to help, she surveyed what the hiker had on her. Snapped hiking stick, grappling hook, rope- wait grappling hook? Making a plan she yelled down towards her.

“HEY! I CAN GET YOU OUT, BUT I NEED TO BORROW YOUR GRAPPLING HOOK! CAN YOU TOSS IT UP HERE PLEASE?”

The hiker looked perplexed, but she threw the hook up all the same. Hilda caught it before she started throwing small rocks at the wolf.

“HEY YOU! COME AND GET ME!”

The wolf’s attention thoroughly diverted, Hilda ran along the top of the gorge until they got to the end. It started trying to climb the sheer rock wall up towards Hilda, so she aimed the grapple before the wolf decided that the hiker was an easier target.

With a ZIP, the grapple end shot out and wrapped around a nearby fallen log. Anchoring herself, Hilda retracted the hook, pulling the log with it. The log fell into the gorge, pulling rocks and branches with it. They all came tumbling down, blocking the wolf's way out. It wouldn’t hold it there for more than an hour at most, but it was plenty of time to go and rescue the hiker.

The hiker - who introduced herself as Connie - was incredibly grateful for Hilda’s help rescuing her, and only put up token protests and Hilda helped her get back to her camp and wrap her leg.

“Trolberg isn’t the most… welcoming right now,” Connie said in response to Hilda’s subtle (only to her) probing. “All the magical creatures are getting rounded up and kicked out, there’s a curfew now to try and catch Marra, and it’s all because of the new ‘Advisory Officer on Beasts’ or whatever else she’s being called.”

Hilda hated the fact that someone was doing all this to the creatures of Trolberg; it was their home too! Unfortunately, Connie didn’t know her name, so Hilda didn’t know if it was anyone she could reason with.

Finishing with the bandages, Hilda walked over to a few trees and knocked on the trunks, Connie watching in interest. Finally, a triumphant expression told Connie she found what she was looking for, which was apparently tree sap.

“Tree sap can be used as a glue if you do the right things,” Hilda explained, sticking the ends of some long sticks into the newly made hole in the tree. “So in this case, we’re going to make you a crutch for your injured leg!”

Eventually the crutch was done, and Hilda helped support Connie on her other side. She nearly cried in relief as she saw Trolberg and the safety patrol, which is an emotion she never thought she would feel about them. Still, Connie felt Hilda stiffen beside her as they caught sight of the patrol.

“Hey Hilda, are you ok?” Connie asked. She was concerned for this kid who apparently lived in the forest and sometimes looked way too mature for her age.

Hilda rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly and sent an apologetic look up at Connie.

“I kinda can’t be seen by them or go into the city. Do you think you’ll be able to make it over ok?”

Connie just ruffled Hilda’s hair and shifted her crutch to her injured side.

“With this crutch you made me? I’ll be fine. You take care of yourself, ok?”

Hilda nodded and was about to run off back into the woods, but stopped herself partway. Sheepishly she pulled the grappling hook from her bag and held it out to Connie, who just shook her head.

“You just saved my life kid, the least I can do is let you keep it. Besides, you use it a lot better than I do.”

With a round of thanks, hugging and goodbyes, Connie set off towards the safety patrol. Hilda watched to make sure she made it safely and then turned back to the woods.

She had a grappling hook to practice with after all.

#4 - 8 months after Hilda ran away

_’This was **not** in the job description,’_ Johanna thought as she tried to teach some new recruits on how to tell the difference between hibernating Vittra and actual plants. She was almost relieved when a distraction showed up - if the distraction hadn’t come from an injured hiker.

Some of the closer trainees rushed over to help support the hiker as she came over. There was a bandage wrapped around her foot - too well to have been done by herself - and a crutch made of branches and stuck together with a yellow adhesive. Something about it seemed familiar, but Johanna couldn’t place it. Maybe she had seen it in a book somewhere?

She shook her head and went over to where the recruits were interrogating the hiker. Maybe interrogate was a strong word; they were politely asking her questions, none of which were relevant, and she was watching in obvious amusement.

Johanna sighed and went to take over. _They’re just trainees, they’ll get better,’_ she reminded herself as one of the trainees - was he really trying to flirt? With the _injured_ hiker?

With a glare she got him to back off and stepped in to introduce herself.

“Hi! I’m Johanna, advisory officer to the safety patrol and currently training these idiots who forgot to give you medical treatment. Mind if I take a look at your wound while you tell me your name and what happened?”

Johanna didn’t know why, but the hiker tensed as she saw her, before forcing herself to relax.

“You can take a look, but it’s pretty well done. My name’s Connie, and I was hiking when a rock fell on my leg. I managed to get it off and make a temporary crutch to try and make my way back to the city.”

Johanna had no reason to doubt Connie’s words, but something about the way her eyes went everywhere but her own made her feel uneasy.

“You’re right, these are well done. Too well done to have been done to yourself. So, was there another person in this tale of yours?”

Johanna wasn’t imagining it; Connie looked like she was going to (at least try to) bolt. As she opened her mouth to respond, Johanna cut her off.

“Before you answer, I’ll remind you that lying to safety patrol is a punishable offence, but if you tell the truth now, I’ll let you off.”

Connie looked like she was trying to come up with an excuse before she sighed in resignation.

“When I was trapped, there was a red wolf as well,” she started, and Johanna’s eyebrows shot up. That was definitely not what she expected.

“It was coming up on me when this kid came to help. She managed to lure it away and helped me get free. She bandaged my leg and made the crutch for me. She said she couldn’t be seen by you guys, which is why I didn’t say anything, but she’s probably far away by now.”

Johanna felt her heart speed up at the thought of Hilda being close, but forced herself to calm down. It might not have been Hilda, and she didn’t want to get her hopes up.

“This kid, what did she look like? Did she give you her name?”

If Connie noticed the panicked note to her voice, she didn’t say anything.

“Short kid, teal blue hair that was pulled back in a ponytail, said her name was-”

“ _Hilda_ ,” Johanna breathed.

“Umm yeah actually. You know her?”

Johanna turned to the trainees and raised her voice to be heard.

“Ok, raise your hands if you know how to drive the patrol truck!”

No hands raised.

“What about people who can drive a regular truck?”

Still no hands.

“Can anyone here drive? Like at all?”

You could practically hear the crickets chirping before Johanna sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Ok, one of you radio Gerda and let her know what’s going on. Tell her that you have an injured person with you and that there’s a code Blue Moon. She’ll understand.”

Before waiting for a response, Johanna turned and sprinted towards where Hilda was last seen.

She found two sets of footprints coming towards the edge and one leaving, but no deerfox tracks.

“I forgot to ask if she had a deerfox with her! I mean she probably did, but what if she lost him and _that’s_ why Hilda hasn’t come home yet?”

It was wishful thinking, but she held out hope there was a reason that Hilda hadn’t come back, one that wasn’t her being a terrible mother.

Johanna wiped the tears that had formed in the corner of her eyes and hardened her resolve. Standing around wouldn’t get Hilda back.

Johanna followed the tracks through the dense woods until she got to a small clearing. Based on the marks on the ground, it looked like Hilda had... fallen over? A lot? She wasn’t sure, but it definitely seemed like it. Either way, the tracks ended there, and no matter how much she searched, she couldn’t find any more.

She placed her head in her hands, collapsing against a rock before starting to cry. This is how Gerda, who had been worried when Johanna didn’t check in, found her an hour later. She didn’t say anything, just sat down next to her and gazed at the sky through the clear spot in the canopy. Johanna would talk when she was ready, and there was no need to push her.

Eventually, Johanna lifted her head as well, hand reaching to find Gerda’s.

“Someone saw her. They talked and she helped her. She’s actively avoiding the safety patrol. There’s so much going on and I feel like I only have half the story. What am I supposed to do?”

Gerda took Johanna’s hand and looked her in the eye.

“You’re doing everything you can. You’re out searching for her, you’re helping train others who will go on patrols and look for her, and you’re making Trolberg a safer place for her to come back to. You are doing _so much_ , and it will pay off when we find her.”

Gerda pulled herself and Johanna up before she kissed her.

“Should we go back now? I’ve already made it so we have the rest of the day off, and that new movie you wanted to see is in the cinemas.”

Johanna gave a genuine smile and nodded before Gerda spun her around and picked her up bridal style.

“I can walk by myself you know,” she laughed, not caring one bit.

“Yes, but this way you can look at my beautiful face the whole time,” Gerda said in a flirtatious tone which just made Johanna laugh more.

They made their way out of the forest, laughing and flirting the whole way.


	5. Chapter 5

#5 - 11 months after running away

It was night when Hilda thought about going back again. She wasn’t scared about the trolls; she had an easy way to escape and most of the wildlife were used to her by now, including some of the friendlier trolls. The seasons had changed again, and Hilda realised that it had almost been a year since she had left. It had been mid-summer then, and with the way it was beginning to warm again, she knew it wouldn’t be long until the year mark.

She honestly missed her mum, but was still nervous about going home. What if she had moved on? What if she had found another kid, one who was well behaved and didn’t lie or go on adventures or leave or-

Hilda didn’t realise she was panicking until Twig came out of her backpack and settled onto her head. She laughed and picked him off, giving him an extra tight hug before diving into her thoughts again. 

Stumbling over a root, Hilda realised that she had ended up at the edge of the forest where the road cut through. She was about to turn around when movement caught her eye. One of the friendlier trolls (she had named him Snappy) was wandering across the road, no clear goal in sight. She lifted one hand in greeting and he did the same, until Hilda saw lights coming down the road.

Quickly, she dived into a nearby bush and tried to signal for Snappy to do the same, but he just kept waving. As the safety patrol truck came up the road, it screeched to a halt just before hitting the troll. Snappy didn’t do anything, just stood there as some patrol members jumped out and aimed futuristic guns at him. She watched in horror as a blinding light, though not as bad as the light from winter, shot towards Snappy, forcing her to wrench her eyes shut.

When she opened them she saw Snappy, now a solid, non-moving rock, being loaded onto another truck going to who knows where.. Involuntarily, Hilda took a step back, a stick on the ground snapping as she did so. The echoing of the snap made Hilda flinch as all patrol members turned to look in her direction. She relaxed as they went back to talking amongst each other, until the truck doors opened and Gerda Gustav stepped out.

After exchanging a few words with the driver (Ahlberg, Hilda assumed) Gerda shut her door and started walking towards the forest. Trying to be as silent as possible, Hilda crept away from Gerda, who was just standing there, trying to hear any more noise.

The plan was going great, until Hilda almost stumbled off a cliff, knocking some loose pebbles to the ground, creating a huge echo. Gerda’s head snapped to the sound, and Hilda decided to run.

Hilda ran as fast as she could, but Gerda always seemed to be able to keep up. The chase led through the woods, though Hilda tried to keep as far from Trolberg as possible. She didn’t know why her hair would glow sometimes, but Trolberg was clearly part of it, and being a walking glowstick wasn’t exactly stealthy. 

Hilda was certain she lost Gerda when she stopped to catch her breath, but was quickly proven wrong.

“Whatever you are, come out and you won’t get hurt.”

Hilda winced as the flashlight shone in her eyes, but Gerda dropped it soon after.

_”Hilda?”_

Hilda looked at her with pleading eyes, taking in how shocked she was to see her. Did people think she was dead?

“Gerda please, I need you to let me go.”

Gerda shook her head and cleared her resolve. Hilda’s hands went to her grappling hook and tightened around the handle.

“I’m sorry Hilda, but you have to come back with me.”

In one quick maneuver, Hilda had spun around, shot out her grapple, and landed on the high branches of the trees. Vaulting from branch to branch, she moved through the thick foliage until she was sure that Gerda was gone.

Once she was, she fell asleep then and there, too tired to go anywhere else.

#5 – 11 months after Hilda ran away

Johanna and Gerda were leading a squad of patrol trucks on the path through the forest. Each squad had four trucks, the lead, with groups of officers inside, two ‘movers’, for transporting petrified trolls away from the wall, and a truck that served as a med bay if anyone got hurt. After Gerda had been made head of the safety patrol, she took her job very seriously.

Now they had routine patrols to find any trolls that were too close to the wall for comfort and move them further away. They had miniature versions of the light cannon called torches which, while not incinerating anything, would petrify trolls and cause a nasty burn for anyone else.

As they rounded a bend, Johanna had to slam on the breaks as she caught sight of a troll in the middle of the road. Immediately patrol officers jumped out of the truck and shot the troll with their torches. Once it was petrified, Johanna took a better look at it from her position inside the car.

It was a shorter troll made of a dull yellow rock. Around its arm was a camera, and the arm itself was raised – was it waving at someone? Who or what would a troll be waving at?

Any odd troll behaviour was gone from her mind when a loud crack echoed throughout the area. All heads snapped towards where it came from, but when there was no more noise, the patrol members relaxed.

Johanna was still wary though, and it seemed that Gerda felt the same, opening her door to get out.

“I’m going to go find out what that was, you continue the patrol.”

Johanna grabbed her arm as she stepped out, making Gerda look back in confusion. Johanna handed her a troll repellent grenade and gave her a pleading look.

“Please be careful, and call if there’s any signs of trouble.”

Gerda’s confusion melted away and she gave Johanna a soft look. Taking the grenade, she leaned over to kiss Johanna’s cheek before stepping out. As she walked towards the woods, Johanna whispered under her breath.

_“I love you.”_

As she drove away, she watched as Gerda suddenly bolted into the woods, making her heart skip a beat. Turning her eyes back on the road she tried to focus. Gerda would be fine.

~~<3~~

When the patrol came back around to get Gerda, Johanna was immediately worried. Her normally upbeat girlfriend wore a carefully guarded expression, and when Johanna asked what happened, all she got was a simple, “I’ll tell you later.”

Once the trucks were parked, the pair went into Johanna’s car and drove home in silence. Johanna was worried about whatever Gerda had to say, and Gerda was worried about how to reveal what she had seen to Johanna.

Eventually they arrived and Johanna made them both some tea. When Gerda took her cup she took a sip before sighing.

“I saw Hilda in the woods today.”

Johanna’s eyes widened and she started to ramble.

“Hilda? How far away was she? Was her hair glowing again? Was she near whatever caused that noise? Did she see you? Did-“

Johana’s stream of questions stopped suddenly when Gerda placed a hand on her leg. Their eyes met before Gerda said six words that stopped her cold.

“Hilda _was_ what made the noise.”

Johanna couldn’t say anything, only motion for Gerda to continue.

“Hilda ran away as I followed her, and eventually she hit a dead end. I asked her to come back while she asked me to let her go, but when I refused she used a grappling hook to get away. I’m so sorry I wasn’t fast enough.”

Crying, Johanna pulled Gerda into a hug and they both held on like it could protect them from the world. Eventually their breathing slowed and matched each other’s before they pulled away. Johanna was about to say something when a knock came on her door. Johanna frowned at it before she opened the door to reveal Argus standing with a giant pack of Jorts in hand.

“Gerda texted me to come over with some comfort food so I brought your favourite,” he said, by way of explanation. Johanna just smiled and moved to let him in as Gerda frowned at the bag.

“When I said that I meant bring actual food,” she complained, but Johanna just took the Jorts and kissed her on the cheek.

“It’s a Jorts for dinner kind of day.”

They all relaxed and put on a cheesy rom com while snacking. Johanna was still upset, but having her best friend and girlfriend there? They made it more manageable.

When Gerda saw Johanna laugh at a joke later that evening, she swore to do everything in her power to keep her happy as possible.


	6. Chapter 6

\+ 1 - 1 year after running away

Hilda packed up her temporary campsite with apprehension. She was finally going home. No backing out, no excuses, she was going to go back into the city, find her mum, (was she even still living at their house?) and come home.

Hilda had finally lived the life she had dreamed about, but she was tired. She missed her mum, even if her mum may not be missing her, she missed Alfur, she missed David and she missed Frida just a little bit more. Hilda didn’t know why, but when she thought about Frida she almost always wanted to go back.

She stood on the cliff overlooking Trolberg one last time before slowly climbing down the hill and sneaking past the guards. Throwing a rock onto the other side of the road made them go investigate, meaning she was free to slip past them unnoticed. (Or at least that’s what she thought.)

She let out a soft growl under her breath as her hair started glowing again. With no good way to cover it, she would stick out like a sore thumb.

 _’Though,’_ she thought. _’I’m sticking out just by **being** here. Where is everybody?’_

As Hilda walked down the almost familiar streets, her heart broke. Dozens of nisse were out on the street, far more than during the Black Hound incident. Had Jellybean come back? That was the only logical explanation for why so many nisse had been kicked out. Still, she gave them all something to eat from her emergency rations, ignoring the panic that came with not having a fallback.

_’It’s fine, you’re going home, you won’t need the rations because you’ll be home.’_

Some of the nisse thanked her; others gave her helpful advice.

“You really should be careful,” one of the nisse said. “The safety patrol comes around looking for Marra; you don’t want to get caught!”

“If you ever need a place to hide out, follow the triangles,” said another. But before Hilda could ask what they meant, the nisse had run off.

Hilda was about to hand over the last of her rations when a flashlight was shone on her.

“Hey you! Stop where you are!”

Hilda decided to _not_ do that, and she took off running down the streets. Twig let out an angry yip about being jostled, and she quickly apologised, but losing her pursuer was her main goal.

A goal that was getting increasingly hard as her hair started glowing brighter and brighter, reaching a maximum as she turned onto her street. As she passed a house (Tildy’s, her brain supplied) she swore she heard an explosion, but she kept running. Thankfully, the glow lessened as she ran away, but she still needed to find a place to hide.

Making up her mind, she tightened her grip on the handle of her grappling hook. Turning the next corner sharply, she whipped it up and shot it, the wire wrapping around a nearby street lamp. Throwing a smug wave to the patrol officer chasing her, she took a moment to catch her breath while balancing on the top.

Taking a leap of faith, she jumped onto a nearby rooftop before immediately starting to run again. Hilda started to relax as she ran, because unless they had a grapple of their own, that officer wouldn’t be able to catch her.

Suddenly, a large spotlight blinded her, making her cover her eyes as she looked up. The blimp! How could she have forgotten about the blimp? Still, she needed to get out of sight, so she carefully jumped down into the nearest alleyway.

Hilda took a moment to breathe. She had probably escaped the patrol, at least for now, but she needed to move. Just as she was about to leave the alley, a blinding flashlight was trained on her face. Throwing her hand up to shield her eyes, she knew she had been caught.

For better or worse, Hilda knew this meant her decision was final. She was back in Trolberg and there was no backing out.

\+ 1 – 1 year after Hilda ran away

Johanna and Gerda were watching a movie when the call came. It was the conclusion of their date night, a perfect way to unwind at home after eating out and going bowling. It had been amazing and Johanna had found herself forgetting her worries. Until...

“Hello Argus! How are-“ Argus cut her off and spoke with urgency.

“Johanna I just saw Hilda, she’s inside the city! Her hair is glowing so I’m sure it’s her!”

Gerda couldn’t hear what was going on, but that look on Johanna’s face could only mean Hilda was nearby. She immediately got up to get both their coats and flashlights, and came back to Johanna’s frantic pacing.

“She came inside the city Gerda! She’s so close, we can’t lose her again!”

Gerda just nodded and threw her coat over. Johanna put it on and raced out the door, not even bothering to lock it. Before she could just pick a direction and run, Gerda grabbed her arm.

“I’ll go get the blimp and run airwatch; you try and make sure she doesn’t run again. I think she might be in that direction,” Gerda said while pointing. Johanna followed her arm and sure enough, saw a faintly glowing blue light. Nodding and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, Johanna sprinted over to the glow, ducking through alleyways and taking corners at top speed. When she found who she _hoped_ was Hilda, she turned her flashlight on and shone it at them.

“Hey you! Stop where you are!”

As soon as the words left her mouth she cringed, but just in case it wasn’t Hilda she needed to be professional. So, when the figure took off running, she didn’t call out Hilda’s name and just ran after them.

As they ran down the streets of Trolberg, their hair got progressively brighter. The glow got so bright as they turned onto Johanna’s street that she had to close her eyes and hope she didn’t run into anything. The glow dimmed enough for Johanna to open her eyes just in time to see the figure sharply take the next corner.

They used a grappling hook to launch themselves onto a street lamp and Hilda – because now she was 100% sure it was Hilda – gave a smug wave that would have made Johanna’s blood boil if not for the pure relief that she felt over seeing Hilda again.

As Hilda leapt from the street lamp to a nearby roof, Johanna still gave chase from the ground. She was _not_ going to lose her daughter again.

A large flash of blinding white light made her look further up. The blimp! Johanna was definitely making Gerda an amazing thank you dinner once all of this was over. Johanna watched as Hilda dropped into a nearby alleyway and ran towards it.

As she shone her flashlight on the figure, she hoped beyond anything that this was Hilda, not some illusion or Marra; that there would be no more running, no more fleeting glances. She hoped that her child had come home.


	7. Chapter 7

Reunion

Johanna lowered her flashlight as she stared at the face of her daughter. After a year of searching, she had finally found her.

Blinding light leaving her eyes, Hilda stared right back at her mother, feeling a huge mix of emotions. Sadness, confusion, relief, and those were just the ones she could name! After some slight hesitation she launched herself at her mum, wrapping her in a tight hug. Under normal circumstances Johanna would have said it was too tight, but she hugged back just as hard.

They stood like this for a while, reunited mother and daughter simply taking in the other's presence before Hilda pulled away.

“I missed you so much mum,” she said, voice thick with emotion. Johanna had a million questions - why didn’t you come back then, why come back now, why run from the safety patrol - but she pushed them all down.

“I missed you too.”

Hilda stared at the badge on Johanna’s chest and the torch on her waist. Johanna’s heart sunk when she really took in just how long Hilda had been away.

“Why are you part of the safety patrol? _When_ did you become part of the safety patrol?”

Johanna crouched down to be level with Hilda. She hadn’t been looking forward to this conversation, or expecting it to be so soon after finding her.

“I joined the safety patrol about 7 months ago, on the day of the woff migration,” she explained. Hilda’s eyes widened, she knew exactly what happened that day.

“When I saw you on top of that woff, it had been the first anyone had seen of you in months. I just missed you, which made me realise that the safety patrol had more resources, resources that I would need to find you.”

Hilda’s eyes lit up with hope which made Johanna worry.

“You were looking for me?” she asked, voice so vulnerable that it made Johanna’s heart break.

“Of course I was looking for you! What would make you think I wouldn’t spend as much time as possible looking for you?”

Hilda’s eyes diverted and started growing misty.

“You probably wanted a better child. One who didn’t go off on adventures and lie to you, and if I left, then maybe you could get a better child, and you wouldn’t have to worry about me or see me ever again and-” Misty eyes turned into full on sobs and Johanna pulled Hilda close again. Hilda didn’t hug back this time, just leaned on Johanna for support as her tears shook her whole body.

“Is that really what you think?” Johanna asked, heart breaking as Hilda nodded into her coat. “Honey I would _never_ give up being your mum for anything in the world. I love you _so much_ and I’m sorry that you felt like I didn’t, that I wouldn’t want to see you, but I’m here now. I’ve got you back and I will never let you go again.”

Johanna picked up Hilda as she stood, and started to walk home. There was so much more to be addressed, but for now they had each other, and maybe that was enough.


End file.
